Mr Dean said the inaugural expo in Tamworth would feature businesses, groups and people with products, services and advice on safety in many areas of life.

These include preventing work injuries, protecting your home and responding to natural disasters.

“The Northern Safety Network has run workshops and noticed that in the community here, we haven’t got a lot of businesses that are large enough to necessarily have the resources to focus on safety,” he said.

“We [at Teys in Tamworth, where Mr Dean is the work health and safety manager] have safety managers and safety officers, but a lot of businesspeople wear multiple hats, and don’t get access to the expos or conferences we have in the cities.”

Mr Dean said the expo would have not only information stalls but also workshops and presentations.

“It’s not just about work safety; it’s about general safety,” he said.

“The SES, the fire brigade .. will also be promoting awareness around coming into the bushfire season, what happens in the event of a flood, making sure your home is prepared.

”Safety is something that we’re all responsible for … and I think everyone will get something out of it if they want to come along.”

Among the speakers will be Paralympian Nigel Smith, who lost a leg in an industrial accident, and Rural Fit’s Andrew Mahony.

Mr Dean said the network planned to run the expo every year or second year.